Almost Human
by CheynotShy
Summary: One day when walking out in the woods of Russia, Prussia comes across something unusual.


He repeated his days, like a record left to play. Nobody to tell him what to do, other than the tall Russian and even then he only told him to be on time to dinner. A small shiver went down his spine at the thought of what the Russian would do if he was ever late for that meal time. He had a memory from when he was younger and it wasn't a pleasant one.

A small breath escaped his mouth and curled into itself as it floated up. The winter wonderland of the land around the house went on for miles and miles. As much as Ivan liked to have friends, his need privacy was a greater than having to live around a lot of people. Trees stood silent as he passed them by. Their snow covered branches made him have a soft urge to knock it off them.

Paths and lightly snowed in footprints in the snow, showed which way he went every day without fail. It was a strong need to just walk around in the snow and it often came when he couldn't stand all the chaos of the household. It was a collection of those who wanted better for their country and gave every ounce of their being to piss the Russian off in some way. Gilbert wasn't like that.

Yes he knew he was annoying at times, but he also knew which ones to turn that annoyance onto. Just plainly being inconvenience to show how much they disliked the government's ways or just the person who looked like they could snap you in half was the wrong way to go about it.

He thought it was more the Allies fault for this position that they gave him. Almost like they expected him to take everything from Ivan when he snapped from all the tricks and what not from the others. He had a few bruises around his neck from a few nights ago, but covered them up with a prussian blue scarf.

The pathway curved to the left and he followed. The crunching sound of his boots as he went along the carved out path.

The quiet made his mind go through many thoughts. Some hateful, while others just hoping he could see his brother again someday. He continued to crunch through the snow.

After walking quite a distance, he turned around and went back. The sky was starting to grow darker and he knew that he would have to get back before dinner was put on the table. He could hear Toris humming a tune from his country either from centuries ago or a distant past, as he made dinner for all. Russia in his study, doing any paperwork or making plans how to beat Alfred in the pissing contest they were having.

Alfred was another reason he got the worst end of Ivan snapping. Gilbert swears that there was more than what the contest showed. He should know as the one who hears all the cursing from the russian.

He started to hum a little tune that meant nothing, as he quickly shuffled along.

He soon stopped as a sound that he's never heard came into his range of hearing. It sounded like wheezing from a sick person, but not like it at the same time. A bit of curiosity pushed him to go investigate what it was, as it might be somebody who was trying to pull a prank on Ivan or one of the other others.

Another part of his mind said that he shouldn't as he didn't want to get into trouble with Ivan about one rule that he only had to follow. Battling what he should do, a new sound came into range as well.

Loud babbling from a person carried across the woods, as if it was talking to the whole world in one spot. Carefully placing his steps, he found the loud babbling and saw how was causing it. A man stood near a tall blue box with some signs on it, with hair that flopped every which way as he moved his body and arms with whatever he was talking about. A slightly disappointed look on the man's face gave him curiosity to get a bit closer.

There was a sudden shout from inside and he saw a girl wearing strange clothing step from the box, glaring at the man. In a hushed voice, she spoke to the man. But it seemed he tuned her out for a moment or two, as he pulled out a strange looking spun around in a circle, with the device spun around in a circle, with the device buzzing.

"That's odd. It says that were in the Soviet Union. But what year is it?" He said, peering at the device as if it had the answer.

The girl huffed, clearly strange man started to mutter to himself, as he continued to spin in a circle. Gilbert made sure to quiet his breath as he didn't want to get caught by these two. The look of them alone was giving him a vibe that they may not be friendly as they seem.

"Odd indeed. Clara it says there's somebody else here? See anybody? Shouldn't be hard in all of this snow. Unless of course they wore white, then maybe it might be hard to find them." The man rambled, as the girl looked through the thick of the woods.

She however was doing it wrong and missed a bit of blue that peeked from behind a tree.

He didn't have fear in his body. He knew they wouldn't find him unless they were hunters trained to hunt in the snow. Standing still against the tree, he listened to their conversation.

"I think that head of yours is seeing things."

"It is not! You must be looking wrong."

The crunch of boots walking over snow, the sound became louder and louder as it came closer and closer to his spot. He stilled his breath and waited for the moment when he would be caught by the two strange looking heard the device make a buzzing sound and suddenly he was being dragged from his spot behind the tree.

Stumbling forward, he got a closer look at the strange man. The man was looking him over with both his eyes and the strange device. The outfit that should have clashed together, seemed perfectly fine for him. Gilbert tugged his scarf a bit tighter around his neck.

"Well look at you. You look human, but the sonic screwdriver says you're not. What are you?"

"If I had a choice in the matter I would tell you, but when living with a man whose temper right now is on a thin line, I'd rather not." He said, irritation showing through his face.

"Ivan, huh? Clara looks like we are in Soviet that may not be such a good thing now that I remember." The man said, as he went on a ramble.

He rolled his eyes at the seemingly childish behaviors. Noticing that it was steadily growing darker, he started to walk away from the two of them.

"Where do you think you're going mister?"

Looking over his shoulder, he saw the woman giving him a look.

"I'm getting back home. Don't need to piss off the person who gives me a roof over my others piss him off enough."

"Why would they do that to the person doing that for them?" Asked the curious woman.

"They have their reasons. And they know they no harm will come their way. Not with me around."

With that he started to walk again and ignored their cries of to come back here. When he finally reached the house, he saw the sun just about dip behind the forest of trees. He entered the home and got a blast of wonderful smelling food in his face.

Toris was walking past with food on a cart and gave a startled look at Gilbert.

"Gilbert did you just get here?" A scared look came upon Toris's face.

With a shaky nod, he took everything, but his scarf off and he followed the long haired man to the dining room. Whispers from the many people staying at the house could be heard and then there was silence as they saw Gilbert enter the room. With quick and sharp eyes he saw that he must have been lucky today, as Ivan wasn't there yet. Must have gotten into an argument with Alfred or something else pissed him off completely.

Two empty chairs sat at the table, fancy with a lacy tablecloth. A person or two gave him a hello and he sat down in one of the empty chairs.

"Hello Gilbert. Here on time again?" Said a sickly sweet voice.

With a shiver running up his spin, he turned his head toward the tall man. Seeing that Ivan's smile was for show, as he could see little ticks here and there that showed he was beyond pissed. Forcing himself to smile, he saw that the man got a bit happier.

"Yes I am Ivan. How was your day?"

"It was bit awful as it was Alfred that I was talking too. But seeing you being so nice and respect to me has brightened up a bit."

The smile never left his face. With a large hand, Ivan patted his head, like a dog owner would with his dog. He internally cringed at the thought of being somebody's pet. The tall man went to the other empty seat that was a few chairs away. Catching a few whispers and murmurs from others around him, dinner started and he ate in silence.

* * *

Later that night, he thought back to those two strange people as he drifted from the book he was reading. They seemed nice enough, despite the bit of strangeness of how they acted. Especially that floppy haired guy. He flipped himself into a different position and started to read the book again.

The wind outside of his window was howling and there was a thump or two of snow falling from the roof. He had overheard from a conversation between Toris Feliks, that there would be a snow storm tonight. Toris then went on about how much food it would last them all and he hopped it wouldn't be more than 3 days they would be stuck in deep snow.

His blond haired friend didn't answer back about that and started the two of them on a different topic. That's when he left to find a book to read. Not like he had much else to do.

As the wind continued to blow through, he read through the night. Though he yawned he couldn't find himself wanting to fall slowly, ever so slowly, he felt himself drifting off. With the page saved in the book, he left himself under the covers and snuggled into them.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, a noise that sounded so familiar and yet didn't at the same time, woke him right up. What he saw in front of him made him forget sleep.

The blue box from earlier started to faze into his room with the loud sound. He felt his eyes go wide at the sight. Soon it stood completely in his room and he waited for somebody to come out of the box, like he saw earlier in the woods.

He sat there for a few minutes, just waiting. When he figured that nobody was going to come out of there any time soon, he got up from the bed and wandered over to the box. Placing gentle hands on it, he felt as if he were alive again. A country that was meant to be powerful and who should be respected. There was a hum, but he didn't bother to wonder what it was.

He placed his forehead against it and felt a warm rush go through him. Never has he even felt a warmth like this. It was similar to the love he had for his younger brother. But this was so much stronger, like the feeling of being in love or being loved dearly.

"Usually people check the door when they see this." A familiar voice said.

Startled he whipped his head to where he saw the strange looking man. The man leaned against the box and was looking him over. It was different then when the strange man did the first time. The first time was rushed and like he did that with others because it felt like he had too. But this one felt like he was staring into his very existence and questioning what made him tick.

He then realized that he was staring at the man for what was longer than necessary.

"I'm not like most. You could ask my little brother that."

A grin spread across the man's face. Gilbert couldn't help, but join too.

"How about we tell each other our name? I'm the Doctor." Said the man.

"Just the Doctor for you? Alright then. My name is Gilbert Beilschmidt."

"How about we go in here? Seems like you would enjoy adventure, maybe even learn about science!" The Doctor said, excitement glowing in his eyes.

The Doctor then took his hand and dragged him in there. Gilbert was afraid that the both of them wouldn't fit into the idea changed when he saw the inside. He felt his mind start to search the possibilities on how this was even possible.

It was a large room that had a machine of some sorts in the middle of it. The Doctor was going around it, saying stuff that he didn't hear or didn't understand.

"This is wonderful! How is such a thing possible?" He asked, excitement inside him growing.

He was pulled towards the machine and saw the man gleefully smiling.

"I knew you would be excited. I would explain, but the human brain at this point isn't going to understand my babbling at all. Maybe bits and pieces. I like saying that phrase. Bits and pieces"

Gilbert just smiled at the man's strange behavior. He took a closer look at the room and all the hidden wonders he didn't see before. It was a long time that there wasn't conversation between them. Sure there was a shout here or there from either of them, but it was not directed towards anyone particular.

The silence broke when the same strange lady came walking from a doorway.

"So you finally found him?" She asked.

The Doctor gave an excited nod.

"Seriously you were hard to get to because of the Doctor's TARDIS. Likes to go where it wants to most of the time."

"She is the boss after all!" Shouted the Doctor

"So that's what it's called. TARDIS. It rolls off the tongue well." He commented.

She gave him a look before talking to him again.

"I heard a German accent, you from Germany? Maybe Switzerland?"

"No. Definitely not. I'm from Prussia. Ever heard of it?"

Her face scrunched up just a bit as she thought of where she heard the name before. Gilbert then started to loose his happiness that he felt he finally just gotten back.

"No I haven't heard of it. Is it small?"

"No it was dissolved after WWII." He said with a sad tone.

"I'm sorry." Was all she could say.

It was a few seconds of silence. A few painful seconds for the both of them. That is until the Doctor bounded towards them in a happy manner.

"What's with the sad faces? You should be happy as where we're stopping next is extra "awesome" as the kids say." He excited said, quickly rushing his words.

The Doctor then quickly dashed back to the strange machine and started to go about it wildly, pressing buttons, swinging something and yelling to the two of them from time to time. The two companions gripped the railings or anything really when the odd box thing started to move, tipping from one side to the next.

Gilbert may have yelled a curse or two in different languages he had come to learn over the long years as the box continued to toss the three of them like rag also started to question the sanity of the Doctor, as he yelled about like an excited child.

As it stopped suddenly, he slumped to the floor, clutching his stomach. Knowing he would need a few minutes to make he wasn't going to throw up, he pulled his knees to himself and laid on the floor. He heard talking from the two behind him and decided to ignore them in favour of not throwing up. There was a gentle hand to his back and it made him relax enough to look who was touching him.

The girl looked at him and silently asked if it was okay to sooth him. Weakly nodding, he then started to feel her rubbing gently down the back. He hadn't had this sort of treatment for a long time and right now he was grateful for it.

"It's rough for the first couple of times, but you get use to it." She said.

"Hopefully." Was all he said.

It was a few minutes before he felt his stomach could handle him walking around for a bit. When standing up he saw that the Doctor was nowhere in sight.

"Where did the Doctor go?"

"He saw that you weren't in the best of shape, so he just started to make upgrades to the Tardis. Does that whenever he's bored." She said, brushing off any dust from herself.

"What's your name? Forgot to ask when first coming on."

"Clara Oswald is my name. Already know yours." She said with a smile.

"Nice name. Anyway do you know where the Doctor took us?" He asked.

Clara shook her head no and he gave a sigh. Walking over to the doors of the box, he went over his options of opening the door. Gilbert didn't know what was on the other side and in the weirdest way it was oddly exciting.

"Feeling better?" Gilbert heard as a hand clamped onto his shoulder.

He saw that the Doctor was next to him and had a concerned look in his eye. He forced his eyes away from such a nice luxury.

"Yeah. That trip isn't the best for my health as it hasn't been the same since the end of the war." He said.

"Well I think the old girl will be bit more gentle next time. She likes you."

Before he could question who the Doctor was talking about, the man pushed the door open and showed everyone where they had landed.

With wide eyes, Gilbert carefully stuck his hand out. When nothing questionable happened to it, he gave a shout in German and went running out the door. He felt excitement rush through his blood as he ran around the area they were in. After a while he slowed down and sat down to catch his breath. Excitement still gave him a buzz, but it didn't matter to him as he felt happiness he didn't have for so long. He looked over to the box and saw that Clara was out and talking to the Doctor, who was looking around curiously.

He smiled brightly and laid back on the strange surface. It was very soft and compared to any kind of clothing back where he lived didn't compare to the softness. It was the colour of baby blue and it looked nice to the eyes. He gave a content sigh.

"Odd little place this is. Most people come here to relax from their problems and leave feeling the greatest they've ever been." Gilbert heard, with closed eyes.

"Like a spa?" Clara asked.

"In a sense."

A shadow passed over him over him. Opening one eye, he saw a little version of himself. The only weird thing about it was the way he was dressed.

Wear jeans that were a bit baggy and a shirt with a cross symbol on it, the same red eyes stared at him. He sat up. The little version of himself sat down and continued to stare at him, quietly of course.

"Who are you?" Gilbert asked.

"You." was all it said.

"How are you me?"

"I'm your…' It struggled to find the words.

"A different version of myself?"

"No no. I'm your sub...sub...subconscious." It finally struggled to say.

His eyebrows raised up. He continued to stare at it and it stared at him, eyes near straying from his face.

"Interesting. Why are you here?"

"This world shows the subconscious to those who need it. Hurt or damaged in the head."

"I need help...in my head?" He questioned quietly.

"This place thinks so." It started to kick its legs, as if starting to get bored by all the questions.

They sat in silence, looking at each other for a while. He could see a couple of scares that must have been caused by something sharp. Slowly he brought a hand up to one of them and felt it. The little version of himself didn't blink and only looked at the hand when it went to another.

"I think I've had enough of this for now." He said. It gave him a look and the slowly nodded.

"As you wish." With that it disappeared.

He sighed and laid back down on the soft ground. Closing his eyes, he went into sleep like that.

* * *

Gilbert snapped awake as he felt himself being shaken hard.

"He must have been really tired." Came a female voice.

"No it's the planet. He shouldn't really do this without somebody watching. The planet has a reputation of causing some with severe stress and whatnot to stay in a coma that isn't actually a coma if not properly watched." Was a male voice answering whoever the female was.

He made some noises that were less than intelligent as he stretched out his body. Rubbing his eyes, he saw who woke him up and smiled.

"Thanks for bringing me here. Haven't felt this good in a long time." He mumbled.

A concerned smile was all he saw from the Doctor.

"Did anything happen to you while you were sleeping?" The Doctor asked.

"Nothing really. Other than a little version of myself saying it was my subconscious." He said with a yawn afterwards.

"Subconscious huh?"

He nodded. He saw Clara and how the concerned was laced into her eyes. He gave her the best reassuring smile he could give in this state.

"Well I think that's enough of an adventure for you. How about I get you home? I'll get you another time of course." The Doctor said, pulling Gilbert up into a standing position. He gave another nod and walked with the two of them back to the blue box.

* * *

He drifted off in the box and only woke up once to see the Doctor carrying him like a child. He must have muttered something as the Doctor gave him a quick smile. His mind demanded that he go back to sleep and he did.

It was the next morning when the rare sun that was shining brightly from the window woke him up.

He found himself in the first time in a long time wanting to see what the day would bring. Hopefully the Doctor would come soon.

* * *

This a prequel to my other story "A Wet Coat". If anybody likes this, I could write more for the series. Hopefully you like it. Tell me if there's anything I can improve on.


End file.
